But You Picked Me
by avengedchocolateangel
Summary: Vanessa and Zane are there for each other from the time they first meet. But will Vanessa be able to take all the twists and turns in their lives and friendship? And will Zane ever care about anything more than he cares about being the best duelist in the world?
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Upon reading my first review I found that there were a few errors in that I missed at like three in the morning writing this randomly. So I fixed the dorm problems. I have tried to fix where Zane is "out of character". I have been rewatching the anime to try and get a better handle on him, mostly just his speech patterns. Also although the review was mostly constructive, I will not take out the comment about the skirts because I know that if I had to wear them, I too would feel very uncomfortable. Thank you and enjoy the rewritten version!

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Obelisk Blue. I couldn't believe I had made Obelisk Blue. I felt as though I was in some kind of fantasy world. I was on the helicopter to Duel Academy Island and I was going to be in Obelisk Blue. I couldn't help but think about how proud my fathers had sounded on the phone. They had both been so proud of me. I couldn't believe after hearing all of their stories, listening to them recount all of the horrible days when shadow games were fairly common, I was leaving Egypt to continue the dueling tradition.

I didn't know how I was going to handle families that had parents of the opposite sex. Being adopted by Ryo Bakura and Marik Ishtar was something to brag about. They were two of the greatest duelists of all time. But I didn't know what it was like to have a mother. Not that I had ever minded, but when I had been to Duel prep in Egypt it had been difficult to make friends, especially since most of the students were of Muslim descent and thought I was going to hell for having gay parents. I was hoping that it would be different at Duel Academy.

I missed them already. I missed their constant bickering. I missed my Daddy cooking dinner after my Dad complained that there was no way in hell he was doing it. They both switched personalities frequently, so they could both be incredibly hostile. My Daddy, Marik Ishtar, was more often his normal calm self. Only when they were in a real fight did he change. My Dad, Ryo Bakura, was mostly his agitated self. But when he really wanted to get around my Daddy, he brought out his sweet alter ego. No matter how often they quarrelled though, they always said I love you at the end of the day. And they never went to bed angry. It was so hard not to miss them.

I was glad that they had sent me with a video phone so that I could talk to them frequently. I knew both of them were very worried. They had even suggested moving closer to the island just in case. But I told them that there was no way they could do that since Daddy had a very specific job to do in Egypt. I would hopefully make some friends and wouldn't have to rely solely on their companionship. I didn't want them fighting over whether they had made the right decision or not. Or if they should just pull me out of school altogether, even though I had already passed the exam and they had payed in full.

Not surprisingly, I didn't have a roommate. My parents had spoken to their personal friend and owner of the school, Seto Kaiba. They had told him that I would adjust much better if I could have a single, and he had agreed to arrange it for me. Not that it mattered, because no one in Obelisk had roommates anyways but they had asked just in case I didn't make it into Obelisk. I had often talked and visited his daughter, but unfortunately she was two years younger than me. I would have loved to share a room with her but alas. All of my things had been moved into a large room. I didn't have too many things so it looked very empty. I sat on my bed and sighed. I stared at the uniform pensively. I hated the skirts. They were far too short and I didn't like the idea of boys trying to look at my underwear. I was distracted by the distinct ringing of my phone. I ripped through my bag and quickly answered it.

"H-hello?" I saw both of my dads on the screen, my daddy smiling and my dad frowning with his arms crossed, as normal.

"Are you all settled? You said that you'd call us when you were."

"I just got unpacked Daddy. I just needed a breather."

"Why aren't you in your uniform?" I looked at my dad. He could tell I was uncomfortable.

"I don't like the skirt Dad. I'm preparing to be a professional duelist, not a dime store hooker." My dads looked at each other and laughed.

"Kaiba probably based the skirts off of Mai Valentine's," my dad chuckled, his British accent shining through yet again.

"Don't worry I sent you with enough shorts to put under them so you won't feel uncomfortable. We tried to get them to allow pants but they weren't having any of it."

"Yes you are there to learn more about dueling, not have boys try to oggle you."

"Agreed Dad. I have to go to the Obelisk welcome dinner. I'll call you both tomorrow I promise. I love you."

"We love you too."

"Make sure you wear those shorts."

"Yes Dad I will. Bye!" I hung up the phone and instantly felt lonely. I knew I wasn't going to hit it off with any of the girls. The only girl I had ever been friends with was Mariah Kaiba. I thought about calling her for luck but remembered all of the Duel Prep homework she probably had to do.

I had been right. The dinner had been lonely and boring. That night I stayed up reading about Ancient Egyptian dueling techniques after leaving the welcome dinner early. I had almost wished that it had been co-ed, but realistically I wouldn't have made any friends there either. That morning I got up early and realized I had no idea where my first class was. I knew it was with Professor Banner, but I had to find where. I roamed around the school for longer then I would have liked. I started to become frantic, as it was getting closer and closer to class time. Not looking at what was in front of me, I crashed into something and fell on the ground.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I'm such a clutz. That was all my fault."

"Hey don't worry about it. Let me help you up." I looked up to handsome boy with dark blue hair. He was in Obelisk as well. He had a very thin smile and was holding out his hand. I slowly took it and he lifted me up as though I weighed nothing.

"I'm sorry. I'm so worried about being late. I can't seem to find my class."

"What class are you looking for?" His voice was incredibly deep and almost melted in my ears like butter. Was it possible for someone of his age to have such a beautiful voice?

"I'm looking for Professor Banner's class."

"Well that's where I'm going too so we can go together." I smiled at him. I hadn't noticed how his eyes matched his hair. He was probably the most handsome boy I had ever met.

"Thank you so much. I would have asked someone I met at the dinner last night but I didn't make any friends." He looked at me questioningly as we walked down the hall. He didn't say anything. I looked down. I didn't want to ramble on to someone I barely knew. It would seem too bold.

"You're Vanessa Ishtar right?" His voice sounded more angry than curious, but that just seemed to be his tone of voice almost.

"Y-yeah." He was still looking away, "You never told me your name."

"Zane. Zane Truesdale."

"You're that guy who got the highest score on the field test."

"And you got the highest score on the written." He didn't seem very interesting in talking to me. I was a little disappointed as he was the first human contact I had experienced at the school so far. We got to the classroom and I sat down. Surprisingly he sat down next to me. It felt like every class we almost had a war to prove who was smarter. It didn't seem like a very friendly competition to me. It seemed like he was trying to prove he was the best and didn't like me being at the same level as he was.

Yet, there he was at lunch sitting with me. He talked to me about dueling strategies and rare cards while eating his plain sandwich. Although if I had been completely honest with myself, I would admit that I was doing most of the talking. I couldn't even tell if he enjoyed my company or not but it didn't matter. As long as someone was talking to me. And about dueling! Well that just made my day even better.

"How was your day Nessa?"

"I made a friend!" I shouted excitedly at the phone. My daddy was making dinner and my dad was sitting watching the duel on tv.

"You did? That's wonderful! We always knew you didn't have any friends here because of all of the damn Muslims. Thinking we're going to hell and whatnot. What's her name?"

"Uh... HIS name is Zane."

"You're not allowed to be friends with boys." My dads voice was very determined.

"Oh don't listen to him. I'm glad you made a friend!"

"We're both at the top of our class so far. We're very close in grades. I think he's a slightly better duelist than I am. But I'm a better test taker so we're neck and neck."

"Don't spend too much time with that boy and get a crush on him. Boys are nothing but trouble. I paid for you to go to that school to learn something, not date."

"Dad I know. I promise I won't date anyone. I told you we're just friends. And you can't fall for someone after one day."

"I know that's why I said don't spend too much time with him."

"Bakura you worry too much. She'll be fine. We raised her. She won't fall for someone unworthy."

"I have to go study so I'll talk to you both tomorrow ok?"

"Alright we love you!"


	2. Chapter 2

Zane and I ate lunch together every day for over a month. We didn't talk about anything else but dueling. We didn't talk about family or friends. Just dueling. And although I was confused as to whether we were friends or just friendly rivals I really enjoyed it. I didn't want him to judge me based on family, past or present. Like the other students did. They all knew about my family. It wasn't too difficult to look up my parents on the internet. At least Zane didn't care. Or at least he didn't seem to care.

If I had said I didn't want to duel him I would have been lying. I had seen his entrance duel and wanted to duel him from the moment I met him. But I didn't want us to get too much more competitive than we already were. Unless perhaps I made a few friends that I was completely sure they were friends instead of rivals. But I didn't see anyone wanting to be friends with me. I was more of an oddity, like a pigmy hippo they all looked at through cage bars. And I still wasn't used to it.

We sat outside at lunch again. He didn't say anything this time, just ate quietly and looked off at the school. I ate quietly as well. It felt a little uncomfortable but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Whenever there was silence between us it was normally comfortable. But I had to wonder: were we even friends? Or were we merely rivals? He could just be trying to get my strategies so he could cement his place at the top of the class. And that thought made me sad. I wanted to duel him, but I wanted to be friends too.

"Hey Zane? Are we... we are we friends?" He looked at me like I was the biggest idiot he had ever seen in his life. Although his gaze wasn't much different than that normally.

"Don't be a fool Vanessa."

"Well are we or aren't we? It's really hard to tell with your personality if we're friends or just rivals. Or if we're both. I wouldn't mind being both as long as we're friends too." He looked incredibly annoyed with me for even asking. But I had to know.

"Obviously we have to be competitive. We're the top two duelists. It's the natural order of things." I was starting to get exasperated. He just kept ignoring the question.

"It's a yes or no question Zane. Not an essay question. Are we friends?" My frustration was becoming obvious in my voice.

"Yeah we're friends. Now drop it. Besides, I don't care about being on top as much as you do. I care about respecting dueling. The connection between the Duelist and the opponent makes for a more meaningful victory."

"I never thought about dueling like that." I had mostly only thought about winning. Being the best was of the most importance to me. But it never occurred to me that other people thought differently. He went back to his sandwich. He ate just like he dueled, calm and collected but very deliberate. I smiled shyly and went back to my lunch.

"We have a test next week. Do you want to start studying with me after class?" He looked up and nodded. We parted ways and would later meet up outside the Obelisk Blue arena like we had a habit of doing.

He was late. Zane was rarely late. I sat on the steps to the arena waiting. I knew that we didn't really need to study too much. It was all review for us since we constantly went ahead in lessons. But it was still nice to spend time with someone.

"Hey beautiful where have you been all my life?" I looked up to see a boy with long brown hair and matching eyes. He was leaning in the doorway. I could remember seeing him hanging out with Zane. I couldn't remember his name for the life of me.

"Egypt." He looked baffled and then started laughing.

"You're a funny one. I didn't think you would be because you're always hanging out with Zane. He's cool and all but he's kind of a stick in the mud."

"He's serious about dueling. Just as you should be."

"I am serious about dueling! But you can't take all of life too seriously. Besides, he has no social life at all. You and I are his only friends. He seriously needs a girlfriend."

"We're here to learn not date."

"Wow you two really are perfect for eachother!"

"Atticus that's enough," Zane appeared from behind him, looking annoyed with his friend. I had thought he was amusing at first, although he clearly needed to get his priorities straightened out.

"Oh come one Zane. I'm just trying to get to know your friend. I figured we could be friends too! I'm friendly right?" He looked down at me with a goofy smile.

"You are very friendly. Although we haven't been introduced. I'm Vanessa Ishtar."

"Wait a minute! Are you related to Marik Ishtar?"

"Yes."

"So you really did live in Egypt? I thought you were just joking."

"No I really do live in Egypt. With both my dads."

"Wait you have two dads?" I felt very anxious. I normally wouldn't have mentioned it. I couldn't believe I trusted this boy I had just met enough. I could remember the way the other students had shunned me in prep school. I remembered how they told me I was going to burn in Jahannam for eternity. That my dads were an abomination. But this was far away from there. It would be okay to talk about, right?

"Yeah. I do. Marik Ishtar and Ryo Bakura."

"No way! Zane you didn't tell me that you were friends with a celebrity baby!"

"It's not about how her parents duel, it's about how she duels." I smiled at Zane. I was so happy that neither one of them had judged me. It was something new for me. It was the most comforting, relieving feeling I had ever known and I was grateful for the feeling.

"Wait, if you're from Egypt then why do you go to this Academy? West Academy is right in Africa and is a lot closer."

"My dads don't like how militaristic it is. They didn't want me involved with the military in any way. They decided they would sacrifice seeing me often to know I was safe from them."

"I thought we were going to study. If you two are just going to chit chat I'm going back to the dorm."

"Oh yeah sorry Zane. I was so surprised by your friend I forgot. I brought the study materials!"

"Do you two mind if I tag along?"

"Well you need all the help you can get," Zane said in his normal snarky voice. But he had a thin smile.

"I don't mind if Zane doesn't. Just try to stay on topic."

"But it's so difficult with such a beautiful woman in front of me?"

"Does your flirting actually work with other girls?"

"Yeah all of the time! I'm quite popular with the ladies. I'm trying to help Zane out. I mean, the girls are all going crazy over his looks, but looks only go so far. The ladies are going to get bored with his bad boy act real fast."

"I told you I'm not interested. If you're not going to keep quiet you can leave Atticus."

"Alright alright! I'm sorry!" He looked a little bit embarrassed. I hardly knew what to make of him. I had never had anyone hit on me before. But he had just stated that he worked his charms on many girls before me. And I could hear my dad's disapproving, angered tone when he heard that I made another friend who was a boy. He would tell me not to fall in love and focus on dueling. So that was what I was going to do.

Leaving them brought on another bout of anxiety. I had to have dinner with all the other Obelisk girls again. I sat down at the end of a table and waited for the rest of the girls to shuffle in. A few girls sat down next to me with smiles on their faces. And my fear kicked in again. I knew it was irrational. The period of my life in the orphanage was over now. I didn't have to worry about girls hurting me now. They just wanted to be friendly. That's why they were sitting near me smiling. I knew that logically. But my heart was racing. I could feel myself sweating. My foot started tapping and I got incredibly fidgety. I tried my hardest to be pleasant but I just kept stammering. They were kind to me and tried to keep stirring up conversation but I couldn't manage to sound intelligent.

I had to get out. I had to. I went up to my room and locked the door. I pulled all the blankets over me and could feel my body start shaking. I felt the sweat coming but I couldn't leave the blankets. They made me feel just a little bit safer. My heart raced under the sheets and I wondered if I was having a heart attack, if these horrible feelings towards girls would ever go away. I could hear my phone start ringing but I hesitated to answer. I knew it wouldn't be a girl. I was only friends with one girl and she only called on weekends. I crawled out of the bed slowly and answered the phone.

"H-hello?" My hand was shaking all over the place. The screen turned on and Zane was on the other end.

"I think our notes got mixed up. Can you bring me mine back tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah sure." His face looked slightly concerned. His face was often difficult to discern. His face was normally stoic. Most girls thought that he looked very angry looking. Only by being friends with him could one truly start to learn the small nuances of his features that distinguished his emotions. His subtle eye moves and body language made it easier to read him.

"Are you alright Vanessa?" For a split second I thought about telling him everything. All of the abuse, the torture. Even the most terrifying and traumatic a girl had ever done to me. But... he was my friend. One of my only friends. Who probably had problems of his own. It was one of the first times I had thought about someone other than myself. Or my dads. I knew I didn't want to burden him with my problems. I cared too much about him. So I decided to lie. Lying, a deed I hated. But I would do it for Zane.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm just a little tired that's all."

"Are you sure?" His voice was closer to normal but his expression remained the same. I smiled at him as best I could, hoping that I would be convincing.

"Yeah! I'll bring you the notes tomorrow. See you in class." I quickly hung up and crawled back into the bed. But most of the night was spent quivering and trying to calm myself.


End file.
